The United Kingdom has formally left the European Union after 47 years of membership, making one of the biggest political and economic shifts in modern European history.
With this development, the UK or great Britain cease to be a member of the EU, Igbere TV reports. The Union had 28 membership countries until now.
It took the UK more than three years to finally exit the EU after it voted to do so in a referendum held in June 2016 where 52 per cent against 48 per cent voted to opt out of the Union.
The historic exit, which happened at 12 midnight February 1, 2020 was marked by both celebrations and anti-Brexit protests.
The EU is an economic and political union involving 28 European countries. It allows free trade, which means goods can move between member countries without any checks or extra charges. The EU also allows free movement of people, to live and work in whichever country they choose.
The UK joined in 1973 (when it was known as the European Economic Community) and it is recorded as the first member state to withdraw.
However, despite the UK leaving the European Union, there is still a lot to talk about and months of negotiation will follow.
While the UK has agreed the terms of its EU departure, both sides still need to decide what their future relationship will look like.
This will be worked out during the transition period (or implementation period), which had begun and is due to end on 31 December, 2020.
During this 11-month period, the UK will continue to follow all of the EU’s rules and its trading relationship will remain the same. But the nation will not have voting rights on EU matters.
UK Prime Minster, Boris Johnson has vowed to bring the country together and take the citizens forward.
In a message released an hour before the UK’s departure, the prime minister said: “For many people this is an astonishing moment of hope, a moment they thought would never come.
“And there are many of course who feel a sense of anxiety and loss.
“And then of course there is a third group – perhaps the biggest – who had started to worry that the whole political wrangle would never come to an end.
“I understand all those feelings and our job as the government – my job – is to bring this country together now and take us forward.”
He added, “For all its strengths and for all its admirable qualities, the EU has evolved over 50 years in a direction that no longer suits this country.
“The most important thing to say tonight is that this is not an end but a beginning,” adding, “(it is) a moment of real national renewal and change.”
